In this episode of Portfolio Perspective: Managing Risk & Seizing Opportunity, Andrew Pace sits down with Rob Ceribelli of Channel to unpack what it takes to scale a financial services company—from leading through a private equity exit to building out infrastructure that supports sustainable growth. Rob shares candid insights into strategic leadership, risk modeling, portfolio expansion, and how his team is preparing for the future of alternative finance.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Lessons from Channel’s acquisition by Onset Financial
• Maintaining employee trust and culture during major transitions
• How to structure teams and invest in middle management to scale
• The role of operational excellence and technology in high-growth environments
• Expanding into working capital: benefits and risks
• Building proprietary credit models vs relying on industry data
• Balancing risk tiers through precision-based pricing
• Digital innovation, AI, and future growth priorities

Notable Takeaways:

“We’re small-ticket and Onset is large-ticket—so the fit was natural. But what made it work was the cultural alignment and open communication.”

“Sometimes your systems or team structures are fine…until they’re not. We watch for what’s humming, what’s smoking, and what’s on fire.”

“We don’t outsource our credit models—we built them from the ground up using 16 years of data. That’s how you take smarter risk and grow with confidence.”

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